Biography

Anna Maria Olsson is a Swedish violinist and composer currently based in the UK, with a niche for writing and performing music for live multitrack violin. Using Ableton Live and MIDI pedals to loop and transform the sounds of her acoustic instrument, Anna’s compositional style fuses electronic manipulation with classical cinematic scoring.

Anna began studying the violin at the age of 7 in Stockholm and later also learned the piano and viola. At the age of 18, she moved to the UK to study violin at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where she also started composing music for violin and electronics. During her final year, she self-released her debut album Crossing Lines (2016), which draws on a variety of genres in order to showcase the violin as a highly versatile instrument. The album caught the attention of BBC Introducing and led to multiple radio broadcasts and a live performance on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune in August 2018.

Upon finishing her BMus, Anna was offered a scholarship to study a Master’s in composition at the same institution. Notable works during her studies include The Woodcarver (2017) commissioned for the Emulsion V Festival and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, as well as multiple co-composed moving image works as commissioned by the Flatpack Film Festival.

In June 2019, Anna released her second album Circles, themed around the circulation of time and the cyclic elements in our natural environment. Inspired by minimalism and film soundtracks, the release takes on a neoclassical/classical crossover vibe reminiscent of Nils Frahm and Max Richter, described as “cathartic” (Tim Senna, BBC WM) and “deeply evocative” (Pink Wafer).